Data protection in Europe – Academics are taking a position

CLSR welcomes occasional comment pieces on issues of current importance in the law and technology field. The current debate on the Commission's proposal for a new data protection framework includes a plethora of very specific issues. As important as these may be, it should not be overlooked that the very principles of data protection are at stake at the moment. Given the lobby efforts to exclude large parts of today's data processing from the ambit of the proposed Regulation, to weaken the principle of informed consent, and to broaden the exceptions for “legitimate interests”, we want to stress that data protection in Europe needs to be strengthened, and that this can be achieved without threatening innovation and legitimate business models.